[Y]ou wanted to organize the country so that we should
all/
stick together and make a little money.
-William Carlos Williams,
Paterson

In two previous books
Richard Brookhiser sought to explain, with considerable success, the most
elusive of the Founders, George Washington. Here he seeks to reclaim
the reputation of the most underrated and misunderstood, again successfully.
Though he won a spot on the $10 bill, Alexander Hamilton--because he favored
a strong federal government--has traditionally been portrayed as some kind
of enemy of democracy. The fact that his main political opponent
was Thomas Jefferson, the darling of the Left, has led to much ill treatment
by historians. And his untimely demise at the hands of Aaron Burr
has tended to link him in our minds with that least worthy of men.
In this short but sufficient biography, Brookhiser demonstrates the surprising
degree to which Hamilton was responsible for creating and shaping the American
nation, both through the force of his ideas and, at the vital moment, by
getting the United States' financial house in order.

Like many of the Founders, Hamilton's own talents and the extraordinary
events of the day allowed or required him to prove himself adept in a variety
of endeavors. In addition to being perhaps the only leader of any
influence to really understand economics, Hamilton was a successful lawyer
and soldier. But the real revelation, and considering the Federalist
Papers it should not be, is how influential he was as a writer.
His sheer output was voluminous, and he both addressed all of the important
issues of the day, and actually convinced people to change their minds--whether
advocating that the Constitution be adopted, that the Federal government
assume pre-existing debt, or that an industrial economy was better suited
to improving the lot of most citizens than an agrarian economy (Report
on Manufactures).

Because Madison is a co-author of the Federalists, and was the
main author of the Constitution itself, he has tended to overshadow Hamilton.
But Brookhiser makes a strong case for Hamilton being the more influential
advocate. He also makes the case that Madison was something of a
chameleon, taking on the coloration of those around him, and that the Constitution's
delicate system of balances might have been much different had Hamilton
not presented and argued for his more powerful and centralized federal
plan. This would certainly explain why Hamilton became such an impassioned
defender of the Constitution that Madison drafted, that it represented
an even handed attempt to meet Hamilton's concerns.

The most heart breaking of Hamilton's writings is his explanation of
his affair with Maria Reynolds. When Hamilton realized that she and
her husband were running an elaborate badger game he ended the affair,
but it was later publicized by his enemies. In a move of remarkable
candor, Hamilton published a brutally frank pamphlet which laid bare his
role in the whole sordid mess but defended himself from false charges of
corruption. Though the romance is a black mark on his record, his
handling of it redounds to his credit.

The Reynolds Affair is only one of several points where this two century
old story intersects with or casts light on current affairs. Here's
Brookhiser discussing Burr :

[A]n old man who had met an old Aaron Burr when he
was young was asked about Burr's 'rare
attraction,' and said it came from 'his manner of
listening. He seemed...to find so much more
meaning in your words than you had intended; no
flattery was more subtle.' Listening is a virtue of
the judicious and the compassionate. But narcissists
also do it surpassingly well. We associate
Narcissus with beauty and self-regard, but the key
to his myth is that it is about surfaces. Narcissus
was captivated by his reflection because that was
all he had. Narcissists must live through their
interactions, because there is no one home.
Burr's charm, attentiveness, and promiscuity; his ability
to get schemes going, and his failure to follow
them through; his lack of principle--all flow from
his character. He was like a new refrigerator--bright,
cold, and empty.

It is frightening how easily Bill Clinton's name can be substituted
for Burr's in that savvy assessment.

In the end, Hamilton's greatest contribution may have been in the realm
of financial affairs. His writings reveal him to be perhaps the only
one of the Founders who anticipated the coming of the industrial world.
He certainly had a clearer vision of the future than his more celebrated
rival Thomas Jefferson, whose fetishistic love of the land led him to countenance
slavery, which Hamilton opposed. Beyond theory, it was Hamilton's
concrete achievements as the first Secretary of the Treasury--founding
the first National Bank, accepting responsibility for Colonial debt, and
installing tariffs to provide a steady source of Federal revenues--that
put the young nation on a sturdy financial footing and make him one of
the greatest Cabinet Secretaries of all time.

Hamilton's too short life was so event filled and Brookhiser is such
a good writer that the book seems almost too brief. But wanting more
is a pretty paltry criticism and the book is an invaluable corrective to
our woefully inadequate understanding of Hamilton's service to the country
and his character as a man. At one point Brookhiser sums up the reason
why Hamilton is not as well regarded as some of his peers :

There are three modes of leadership. The highest
is inspiration: rare, sometimes false, but
impossible to live without. Next is demonstration--honestly
sharing all your reasons with all
comers; explaining where they come from, and where
they lead. Lowest is flattery, which either
fools both the leader and his followers, or fools
no one, but is indulged because followers and
leaders are too tired to think of anything else.
Hamilton seldom rose to the highest level, and would
not sink to the lowest. His greatest rivals,
such as Jefferson, inhabited all three, especially the first
and the third; hence their success.

This is nicely stated and is just one example of the author's really
penetrating insight into his subject. Read the book and you'll look
at those $10's with a newfound appreciation for an American hero.